Keep Your Kitchen Mold Free

The kitchen and bathroom share certain characteristics. They both get wet, and water can be seen cutting a damp route down their walls. Focusing on the kitchen, mold grows on food, on the walls and behind tiles, presenting an untidy mess in a space that should be clean and hygienic. Food is being prepared here, and kitchen benchtops have to be kept clear of the nasty growth before it spreads.Keep the Area Clean

Mold loves moisture and feels at home in a damp environment. Assign duties to everyone to keep the kitchen clean. The kids can take their turn cleaning the dishes while parents wipe down the walls with a light cleanser. Explore the household cleanser section of a store, and look for products designed to blast away mold, formulations specially manufactured to dissolve mildew. Without a cleansing program of some kind, laminate benchtops will quickly age and succumb to the growth. The laminate lifts and warps, and the grain of laminate benchtops play host to tiny patches of mold sinking down into the substrate. You can even source benchtop materials such as laminates which are easy to clean and therefore easy to keep mold away from.

Ventilation Means Prevention

Become proactive and stop the mold taking root. Open windows and run ventilating fans when the kitchen is particularly damp. This means taking action when water is boiling in the pot for a pasta dish, opening a few windows when washing the dishes, and turning on a fan when steam builds up in the air flowing through the cooking space. If the air around kitchen benchtops is stagnant and steamy, all kinds of mold have the potential to flourish. It’s so much easier to stop the problem in its tracks, removing the dampness that feeds the growth. If the home is particularly damp, call in an air conditioning installer and explore options. The technician may recommend installing a dehumidifier to reduce the clamminess of the air.

Not All Mold is Visible

Mold is a sneaky, pervasive enemy. It hides out of sight behind cavities and under flooring. Look under the kitchen sink for traces of mold on pipes. Dark gaps are prime candidates for dark growths of fungus and mildew fed by a narrow trickle of water under the sink. Turn to the store cleanser again and wipe every trace of the growth out of existence. Alternatively, try some of the well-known home solutions. Borax extinguishes the fungus with a simple abrasive action, while other household items work in concert with borax to provide a toxin free solution to the problem. White vinegar and baking soda work well, as does bleach on non-porous surfaces.

Safety First and Foremost

Some of these household answers are hazardous to the health, so wear gloves and safety goggles to prevent getting dangerous chemicals in an eye or an open cut. One good practice to establish is to gather a mold cleaning kit. Use an empty plastic spray bottle, filling it with the chosen cleanser, perhaps opting for a non-toxic liquid if young children and pets are present, and start attacking the mold. Use a fine brush or even an old toothbrush to scrub the fungus away, and finish with a slightly damp cloth.Some rooms in a home naturally get wet. Keep a close eye on those areas for mold and mildew, taking action when mold appears.

Sarah is a small business owner, and is currently learning about pest control, using the internet. Aside from working on her own business, she likes to use social media, and read travel books.

The information on this site is not a substitute for experienced remediation services or professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Content on this website is for general information purposes.